The short answer
To winterize an outdoor faucet (also called a hose bib or spigot): disconnect the hose, close the indoor shut-off valve that feeds the faucet, open the outdoor faucet to let the water drain out, open the small drain cap on the indoor valve if it has one, and leave the outdoor faucet open for the winter. Do it before the first hard freeze. In northern Illinois, that means fall, not December.
Why outdoor faucets crack in winter
The short length of pipe running through your exterior wall to the spigot is one of the coldest pipes in the house. If water is left sitting in it, freezing can split the pipe inside the wall, where you can't see it. Often nothing happens until spring, when you turn on the hose for the first time and water pours into the basement or wall cavity instead of out of the spigot. It's one of the most common leaks plumbers see each spring.
How to winterize an outdoor faucet, step by step
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Disconnect and drain the hose
Unscrew every hose, splitter and timer from the spigot. A connected hose traps water in the faucet even when it's turned off. Drain hoses and store them inside.
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Find the indoor shut-off for the spigot
Look in the basement or crawlspace directly behind where the outdoor faucet comes through the wall. You're looking for a small valve on the pipe that runs toward it.
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Close the indoor valve
Turn it clockwise until it stops, or a quarter turn for a lever valve.
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Open the outdoor faucet
Go outside and open the spigot fully. Some water will run out, then stop. That's the water that would otherwise freeze.
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Open the bleeder cap, if there is one
Many indoor shut-offs have a small cap on the side. With a bucket underneath, unscrew it to let the last of the water drain from the line, then replace it.
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Leave the outdoor faucet open
An open spigot gives any remaining water room to expand. Add an insulated foam faucet cover for extra protection.
What if you have a frost-free faucet?
Many newer homes have frost-free sillcocks. These outdoor faucets have the actual valve set back inside the heated part of the house, at the end of a long stem, so the section of pipe in the cold wall drains every time you turn the faucet off. You can usually spot one by the long body that extends into the wall behind the handle.
Frost-free faucets still need one step: disconnect the hose. A hose left attached stops the faucet from draining, and the trapped water can freeze and crack the long internal tube. That damage typically shows up in spring as water leaking inside the wall whenever the faucet is open.
No indoor shut-off valve?
Some older homes, including many of the older houses in towns like Villa Park, were built without a separate shut-off for the outdoor spigot. Your options:
- Use an insulated faucet cover. It helps, but on its own it's not reliable protection in a hard freeze.
- Have a plumber add a shut-off valve on the line feeding the spigot.
- Replace the spigot with a frost-free sillcock. This is the most durable fix for a faucet that's frozen before.
Don't forget irrigation and sprinkler lines
Lawn sprinkler systems hold water in buried lines, valves and backflow devices. Shut off the system's water supply in fall and have the lines drained or blown out with compressed air. Many irrigation companies offer this as a fall service.
Spring check: did the faucet crack?
The first time you use an outdoor faucet in spring, open the indoor valve, connect the hose, turn the faucet on, and have someone check the basement or the wall behind it for drips. Water appearing inside only when the spigot is running is the classic sign of a cracked frost-free faucet. If you find a leak, close the indoor valve and see our water leak repair page. If a frozen line split elsewhere over winter, you'll want burst pipe repair help near Elmhurst before the water does more damage.
For more ways to protect indoor pipes, see frozen pipe repair and prevention and our post on what temperature pipes freeze at.